Well Armed is the American way

5.55: Last year's third Well Armed went two places better with a quite devastating display in the Dubai World Cup to give the Yanks a big-money finale to a blank day for the Brits at Nad Al Sheba.
The Eoin Harty-trained 10-1 chance bounced out of the stalls under Aaron Gryder and was always travelling well within himself at the head of affairs.
Once given the office by his jockey, the American raider simply powered clear in the straight. Gryder could even afford time to give his mount a few slaps down the neck as he approached the line, a mile clear of runner-up Gloria De Campeao.
Quote of the week from a delighted Ahmed Ajtebi after his remarkable double: "I started riding camels at six and changed to horses at 14. I've spent all my life in the game – it's not all the same game but it is four legs and speed.''

Amazing Ajtebi!

5.00And just to prove he can do it from the back as well, Ahmed Ajtebi then drove Eastern Anthem from last to first to snatch victory on the line in a thrilling three-way finish to the £2m Dubai Sheema Classic, giving local trainer Mubarak bin Shafya a double and a night neither of them will ever forget.The 14-1 chance was held up in the early stages but Eastern Anthem finished like a train to engage in a three-way tussle with Sir Michael Stoute's Spanish Moon and Purple Moon, trained by Luca Cumani. There was very little to choose between the three of them as they flashed past the post - but it was Eastern Anthem who was declared the narrow winner after a lengthy photo-finish.

Former camel rider Ajtebi gets just deserts

4.10: A superbly judged piece of front-running on the locally trained Gladiatorus in the 9f Dubai Duty Free on the Nad Al Sheba turf makes a local hero of UAE apprentice Ahmed Ajtebi, who rode a few winners last year in Britain before visa problems. Ajtebi, who was encouraged by Sheikh Mohammed to change trades after booting home 300 winners in camel races as a boy, did his claims to take over from Kerrin McEvoy as Godolphin's No2 rider no harm at all.

Plunge horse storms home to land the Lincoln

4.03: Expresso Star's rider Jimmy Fortune rendered all the talk about going and draw academic as he stormed into the lead of the main bunch on the far side over two furlongs out and defied any rival to close on him. A great display of heart-and-soul nailing of colours to the mast. Swop was the big late gamble but the ante-post plunge horse was returned at 100-30 and gave his backers little cause to worry.

Punters get off the mark for the season

3.26: Barry Hills' classy 3-1 favourite Prime Defender pegs back the game Pusey Street Lady to take the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster. Just to add spice to speculation about where the better ground might be, the main players came down the centre of the course.

Saudi Arabia beats America, punters poleaxed

3.05: Another boil-over in the desert as the Saudi-trained Big City Man holds off the Bob Baffert-trained hot favourite Indian Blessing in the Golden Shaheen 6f sprint.

Meehan springs surprise in Spring Mile

2.55: Brian Meehan's Manassas comes back off a 337-day layoff to take the Lincoln warm-up at 22-1 with five of the first six home running down the stands rail - though the smaller group on the far side did not seem too inconvenienced.

Another Godolphin one-two – but not the one the punters wanted

First blood to the Eddery family in Donny!

2.15: The Brocklesbury Stakes, traditional curtain-raiser for the Flat season and punters' graveyard, goes to Hearts of Fire, a 12-1 shot ridden by Paul and trained by Pat Eddery.

First blood to Frankie in Dubai

1.50: Good omen for the home side as Dettori opens the World Cup card with victory on the 2-1 favourite Two Step Salsa for a Godolphin one-two with Gayego, ridden by Ted Durcan

Rain relents after drought breaks at Donny!

1.25: Half an hour of "torrential" rain has left everybody guessing about what it could all possibly mean – but the word is that it won't change the going too dramatically. All will be revealed in the 2.10 . . .12.50: Now hosing down at Doncaster – whether this gets into the turf in time to keep Expresso Star in the big race is another matter.

High excitement and firm going for the start of the Flat season

12.30:The British turf Flat season starts with a bang today with the annual cavalry charge that is the Lincoln at Doncaster, where they had 2mm of rain overnight and it is currently very windy and spitting with rain. The forecast is for more showers this afternoon but the clerk of the course David Williams did not think it would affect the going which was officially updated at 7.15 this morning as:Straight course: Good to firm – Good in placesRound course: Good – Good to firm in places.

How this will play out for the plunge horse, the favourite Expresso Star, will not be known until after the first race at 2.10 when connections will decide if it has enough give in it for him.

So the big interest may be at grassy Doncaster but the big money is some way away on the dirt of the Gulf where the Dubai World Cup meeting kicks off at 1.40, when Brian Meehan's Cat Junior and Jamie Spencer flies the flag for Britain in the Godolphin Mile, and climaxes with the megabucks big race at 5.30 when Ralph Beckett's Muhannak is the only British entry.

Elsewhere, the going at Lingfield is good, good to soft in places; at Uttoxeter, where they have had 3mm of rain since yesterday morning, it is good, good to firm in places.

The tips

Docofthebay has been unfortunate not to win a big-field handicap on a straight course but today's William Hill Lincoln gives him the chance to put that record straight. He has suffered interference in running on both his runs in Dubai this year but showed he still retains all his ability when seventh in the Winter Derby at Lingfield last week when up against it at the weights.

Go back to last year's Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot – run, like the Lincoln, over a straight mile – and he finished a fine, narrow ­second in first-time blinkers off today's mark, and he was also runner-up in the Cambridgeshire the previous year.

It looks significant that Jamie Osborne puts the headgear back on Docofthebay, who has been placed four times from six outings in fields of 17 or more on straight courses and was drawn out of things on the other two occasions.

Docofthebay (3.55) is drawn on the stands side and that is not certain to be the best place but at a general 20-1 it is worth paying to find out with the excellent Joe Fanning riding.

Doncaster 2.10 A top-class greyhound named Chicita Banana was owned by Harry Findlay so it looks a tip that the owner has named a filly after his bitch. The equine Chicita Banana has reportedly been pleasing George Baker on the gallops and Matthew Davies' claim means she is receiving 12lb from the boys. Jamie Moriarty is an interesting booking for Paul Midgley's Burtondale Boy, while Swilly Ferry is from a stable going well.

Kempton 2.25 Linda Stubbs' purchase of Five Star Junior for just 8,000gns in October has paid off with four wins over six furlongs since. He returns to his best trip and should again beat Satwa Street, who has twice been no match for his five-star turn of foot.

Doncaster 2.45 Like many of these, Slugger O'Toole missed the Lincoln cut. Having his first run since joining the cute Stuart Williams, he had a good record on straight courses over seven furlongs last season, including here, and should have strengthened up enough to last out the mile now. Nanton ended last year on a high and has a draw near the stands rail. Mangham finished off last season in style and his small stable had a runner go close in the same colours at Lingfield earlier in the week.

Kempton 3.00 King Olav and Whitcombe Minister both come here in form but have been done no favours by the draw. Conversely, Cape Express has what looks a good pitch in stall 14, represents last year's winning stable and has a forcing style that should be suited to the track. However, old Grand Passion has plenty going for him with Jamie Hamblett taking off 5lb. He was not drawn well when a close third here last time.

Doncaster 3.20 Showing a bright turn of foot, Icelandic made mincemeat of a decent field including Against The Grain here when last seen and may not be stopped by his 3lb penalty. Prime Defender is the class horse of the race but came up short in this event last year. David Nicholls has his team in good form but Inxile may find the sixth furlong just beyond him. Vitznau, better known for his exploits over seven, will be finishing strongly.

Kempton 3.35 Joint best at the weights officially with Halicarnassus is Dansant but he has just returned from an abortive trip to California that may have taken the edge off him so Bronze Cannon's battling qualities can settle things. He has already shown a liking for the course with two wins here and made a decent return when running on to be third in the Winter Derby a week ago with three of these including Halicarnassus behind.

Casino Drive has all the cards for success in World Cup

Casino Drive (5.30) is set to go one better than when second in a very fast time in a Group One in Japan over a mile last time when he contests the Dubai World Cup today as he promises to be even better over 10 furlongs.

The only time he contested that distance was when setting too strong a pace in October's Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita when fading to finish last, but he has put that behind him since ­switching to Japan and is fancied to outstay the US ­challenger Albertus Maximus and hold too many guns for last year's second ­Asiatic Boy, My Indy and Happy Boy who are closely matched. Asiatic Boy was ­slaughtered by Curlin 12 months ago but there appears nothing of that rival's ­quality in this field.

His trainer Mike de Kock has his horses in superb form and Archipenko (3.55) may be able to avenge last year's narrow defeat by Jay Peg in the Duty Free as he met trouble in running that day. ­Archipenko warmed up with a cosy win over a mile here. The Australian raider Tuesday Boy looks the best outsider.

De Kock's filly Front House (4.40) ­overcame a bad draw when beating ­Quijano last time and has possibilities of confirming the placings on worse terms in the Sheema Classic. The ultra-consistent Doctor Dino looks a big danger. He had Youmzain behind him when third last year, just in front of Quijano.

Goldolphin have a strong hand in the Mile with front -running Two Step Salsa and Gayego. Frankie Dettori has picked Two Step Salsa, but he may be vulnerable to Gayego's late surge under Ted Durcan. Yet the value lies with Tiz Now Tiz Then (1.40), who failed to stay a longer trip last time and was given too much to do on his first run of the year the time before.

Ron Cox's tip of the day

Regal Parade 4.45 Kempton

William Carson won the Ayr Gold Cup last year on Regal Parade and his presence on the David Nicholls horse is a big positive. The selection was a fine fourth in a Group Three at Ascot on his final outing last year when Carson could not claim his 5lb. Nicholls runs him on the Polytrack for the first time but he won for Mark Johnston at Wolverhampton on his debut two years ago.

Horse sense

John Quinn has been forced to rule the lame Character Building out of next week's Grand National but the trainer is hopeful Blythe Knight (3.55) can lift spirits by winning today's tomorrow's Lincoln. The chestnut won this race when it was staged at Redcar three years ago and is in great heart since his reappearance run at Kempton.

The favourite, Expresso Star, hits the ground very hard and needs forecast rain to materialise. His stablemate and work companion, Charm School, has seemed to save a bit for himself in recent gallops, though he is not as awkward as Don't Panic, who refused to race on his latest start and has been similarly mulish at home.

Huzzah is the pick of Barry Hills's pair. Zaahid is being aimed at Ascot's Victoria Cup in May, a race he won last year. Hills's best chance of success on the card may be with a horse who failed to win last year, Prime Defender (3.20). The five-year-old has been impressing in his work and connections are hopeful he will do well this season, starting in the Cammidge Trophy.

By contrast, Hills's runner in the Brocklesby, Swilly Ferry, is likely to need the run, but Above Average (4.30) can get off the mark later on the card. Weak last year, this one may now take a lot of beating. Roger Charlton's Classically is a nice prospect who may benefit for the run today tomorrow.

Redwood, a stablemate of Above Average, made a winning debut last year when the latter was much more fancied. Now rated among Hills's best three year olds, Redwood (4.50) may be able to defy topweight in the 10-furlong handicap at Doncaster tomorrow on Sunday.

Last Sovereign (3.05) is another to look out for at Doncaster after catching the eye on the Al Bahathri gallop this week. John Gosden can keep up his good run with Invisible Man (2.30) tomorrow, and Wajaha (4.00) and Big Bound (4.30) at Lingfield on Monday.

Seen and heard

How much is racing's heritage cherished by Forest Heath district council, whose patch includes Newmarket's Rowley Mile? Enough to name some roads after famous racing figures, but not enough to spell the names right, apparently. Nijinsky's owner, Charles Engelhard, has been immortalised, sort of, by a sign for Englhard Road, while Classic-winning owner-breeder Lady Beaverbrook has had her name rendered as Beavorbrook. The council previously had to apologise to the family of Derby-winning trainer Dick Perryman for the spelling of Periman Close, a mistake which was noticed too late to be changed.

Peter Chapple-Hyam endured a disappointing 2008 and starts the new season without star filly Cape Amber, who has been moved to Ralph Beckett.

Betfair turned over £135m on the 26 races of the Cheltenham Festival, an astonishing figure for a company that did not exist 10 years ago. At a conservative estimate, 1% of that figure is likely to remain with Betfair as commission on matched bets, a very healthy return on four days' work.

Marcus Tregoning was distracted from fretting over the new Flat season by a more pressing matter recently, when a fire broke out in his kitchen. Happily, no humans or horses were hurt and the blaze was brought under control before the arrival of the emergency services, with the help of the head lad.